Plan of Attack

Rating:
Summary: Seemingly Balanced Review of Insiders' Debate
Review: I really enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons. 1.) It was nice to read a review of the public statements prior to the war in Iraq without the subsequent distortions of the media and political soundbites. 2.) The descriptions of what was going on behind the scenes added an interesting albiet, less concrete, dimension.

This book is engaging and appears to be an attempt to write a balanced review of the facts without a lot of judgements, for or against. I would recommend this book to others, like me, who feel deluged by distorted(intentional and unintentional) media coverage and would like to try to distinguish between fact and fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Good Book, enjoyed reading it
Review: I thought Bob Woodward did an excellent job in writing this book. The book was well written and very easy to read and understand. I would urge everyone to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Plan of Attack
Review: In Plan of Attack, Woodward cleverly presents us with historical facts and memorable events. The book is very good and I enjoyed it very much. I also recommend USA THE MOVIE from manticeye.com. See it because it really makes an amazing viewing experience. I couldn't believe my eyes. From history, speeches to insanity and the mad world of politics. Happy reading and viewing!!

Rating:
Summary: Great expectations...
Review: Bob Woodward first entered my life in the early 1970's, along with Carl Bernstein and Watergate. Over the years, Woodward has honed his reporting skills, establishing himself as a journalist with integrity. In Plan of Attack, Woodward addresses the meetings and historical decisions that resulted in America's war to depose Saddam Hussein. Other than Operation Desert Storm, a great cable event, this conflict has brought the reality of war into the American consciousness in a manner unseen since the tortuous debate over the Vietnam conflict. Needless to say, considerable media exposure has attended Plan of Attack, prompting hours of media discussion and panels of political experts pro and con. It is time to decide for myself the spirit of Woodward's book and how it has come to mean different things to opposing points of view.

Success is the only option in all aspects of planning the invasion of Iraq; and only success is acceptable. To that end, the focus is on the broad view, the outcome, with the assumption that logistical issues will be dealt with in context. The flaw appears in the lack of planning for a variety of outcomes, including the aftermath of the war, once the country is secured and the mission accomplished.

Doubtless there will be more legalistic documents that consider the historical perspective, though it is hard to imagine a more engaging style than Woodward's; he is inside the very personal conversations and momentous decisions, allowing an insight into the personalities involved. These conversations are telling, intimate revelations in planning the war and the move toward the democratization of Iraq. Hussein is a figurehead, but only a focus for public debate; beyond that there is a master plan to affect the direction of the Middle East.

Nuances are lost in Bush's overview, which nurtures a vision of freedom. Naysayers are not tolerated and their views must correspond to the party line. The most obvious example is Secretary of State Colin Powell, constantly out of step and herded back by means of convoluted semantics. Powell is consistently outflanked and outmaneuvered by the concentrated efforts of Cheney and Rumsfeld. But intelligence is not fact. One could call the administration Machiavellian, except that the details are so transparent, given the hindsight of Woodward's reporting. More an act of will than a clever manipulation, there is a feeling of predestination and inevitability, given the mindset of the top dogs in the Bush Administration.

In Plan of Attack, Woodward references a series of extraordinary events: the planning of the Iraq invasion so soon after the tragedy of 9/11 under the blind eye of Congress, the dynamic duo of Blair and Bush, Powell's ambivalent dance with the United Nations, the shocking influence of Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia and our striking lack of reliable informants inside Iraq. Without this critical intelligence there is no counter-balance, no facts to refute the assumptions of the Administration. Once God nods His seal of approval on Bush's mission, the deal is done. Continuing inspections, the reality of weapons of mass destruction? In Woodward's book, such issues occupy the public and the media far more than the Oval Office.

The burden is ultimately Bush's, but he is Reagan-like in his approach to it all, taking the long view and leaving the micro-management to the more detail-oriented. Given current events, Rumsfeld's position is telling; the Secretary of Defense performs his duties dispassionately in contrast to Cheney's "fever" and Rice's hovering. Viewing the removal of Saddam and the freeing of the Iraqi people as a "blueprint for future actions", Bush's willingness to open his office to Woodward is a bold move, validating his determination to change the course of history and, consequently, the president's place in the grand scheme of things. He is absolutely without doubt. Is there a price for being wrong? Luan Gaines/2004.

Rating:
Summary: Executed Completely
Review: To be up front with you I have always been a fan of Bob Woodward and I read any book he puts out. Given this fact and that I am a political junky I was excited to dig into this book. I was not disappointed. I think this is the best book he has put out sense his Watergate days. All the Woodward hallmarks are in the book, great he said / she said quotes, a well put together flow and the ability to move the story along with excitement and little known interesting bits lost by many other authors. He is also very good at getting the personalities behind the men and women he reports on without over blow commentary. Because of all the quotes you start to understand what is behind the main players, you start to think you can understand how they are thinking. It really is almost like you are a part of the process, not just reading a book.

You have probably heard all the gossipy or headline grabbing items from the book by now, the Powell flair-ups with about everybody else, the fact that Bush told Saudi Arabia before he told a number of other people within the government etc. What I found one of the more interesting parts of the book was the detail on the CIA operation that was running in the country during 2003. This was exciting stuff, a real life Clancy novel right in the middle of history. What surprised me was that we did not have similar successful operations before the very start of the war. Maybe if more time had spent here the confusion on the Weapons of Mass Destruction would not have taken place. The fact that we had pin pointed Saddam and his family down to within hours and almost got him is exciting reading.

I did find that the detail of the conversations Bush had with other world leaders to be a little sparse. Now whether that is due to there being restrictions as to what could be reported or if Bush just did not talk to the other leaders of the world is not clearly stated within the book and we will have to assume one version or another. The detail of the inter Secretary squabbles was well worth the time and it more then made up for any lacking French - US interactions. Overall I really enjoyed the book. It is the first cut of history and I doubt the author could have done a better job unless we would have been part of the events as they were taking place. The only unresolved question I had is whether Bush and Cheney decided to go to war with Iraq before they won the election or shortly afterward. If you are interested in the war or current events you will enjoy this book a good deal.

Rating:
Summary: Bad book
Review: Bush is a great president. I am sick and tired of people bad mouthing him. I am also tired of democrates bad mouthing Bush just because he is a republican. They have to get over things like that.

Rating:
Summary: Final Chapter Is Yet To Be Written
Review: Bob Woodward of The Washington Post has provided us with a behind the scenes view of President George Bush and his inner circle as they prepare for war against Iraq. I get the impression that Bush was determined to go to war, and didn't bother to ask for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's opinion on the matter, and didn't like what Secretary of State Colin Powell had to say regarding the matter. It appears that the reason for going to war, WMD, don't exist after all, and the evidence to support it was not the "slam dunk" that CIA director George Tenet claimed it to be. I felt Woodward gave both sides to the matter and let the president have his say regarding questions the author posed to him. How history treats President Bush and his decision to go to war will not be known for some period of time. The first indication will be in this fall's election. The book is very worth while regarding a matter we should all familiarize ourselves with.

Rating:
Summary: insight fact
Review: We should know all of fact inside palace like white house.

This book guide real situation of Iraq war for the ordinary.

Who knows the other fact exist....

Rating:
Summary: War By Intuition
Review: As Napoleon stated, you can do everything with a bayonet but sit on it. I am also really unsure, after reading this book, about who is taking advantage of whom. Since this book is recommended by the White House, it is obvious "they" are happy with it, even though Cheney and his crew look bad.

Many pundits have pointed out that Bush is rather dumb, but they forget that there have been many dumb presidents. There have also been some who were rather intelligent, like Clinton, who were a total disappointment in their decisions and behavior. It is the people they surround themselves with we need to watch. On page 56, you see the breakthrough regarding military theory by Gen Franks, presented to Bush in a slide lecture. On page 57, you see where the only think Bush remembered of this was "the little starbursts on the matrix but not much of the detail."

ON page 62 you actually see where Franks, with number 8 on the war plan, had stated the Dept. of State would handle the post war. As we all know, Rumsfeld overrode that after the war. At least Woodward shows indeed there had been a postwar plan at one point.

Bush and Cheney were out of step with the rest of the world on this war. On page 112 you see, when Cheney visited Arab countries they had a different agenda, to "set the region on some process to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This was the message that Powell had been sending to the White House nonstop. Franks was of like mind. Cheney's other conclusion was that the Middle East was not going in the right direction." Here, then, is the heart of the problem with this war. For a more complete review of Cheney's war fever, as described by Powell, go to pages 292-295.

On page 173 we see where the problem of no WMD is not new. Before the war, Franks tells Bush he sees no WMD as well as Scuds. On page 309 Senator Warner of Virginia tells Bush he will have problems if no WMD found, but I still don't see the "big problems," especially by him.

Woodward does not get all the facts right, in my opinion. On page 78 he states Rumsfeld was a Navy pilot in the 50s. True, but he filed draft deferments to stay out of the Korean War and went in in 1953. On page 13 there is the oft-repeated myth inspectors were kicked out by Saddam in 1998. We pulled them out due to the Desert Fox bombing. On page 263 there is the myth of satellite photos of Iraqi troops massing against Saudi Arabia. Only after the war, when Russian satellite photos were bought, did we find out this was not true. As former Navy intelligence, Woodward should know better.

I still think, with the problems and reservations cited, Woodward provides us with a very valuable day-by-day record of how this war was planned. Others quoted try to make Bush look involved, but he still comes across as a Kagemusha controlled by Cheney and his slippery crowd.

Rating:
Summary: Another Surprise
Review: Like Richard Clarke's book, which turned out to be 10 chapters documenting the Clinton Administrations efforts (or lack thereof) to address mounting terrorism and one, last chapter against the War in Iraq, Woodward's book is not the anti-Bush shocker that the media implied it was going to be. The net of it is: (1) Senior officials in the Bush administration hold differing opinions, (2) Bush listens to and can cope with differing opinions, and (3) Bush makes up his own mind an acts in what he believes is the best interests of the country. He actually comes out the star of the book. So, where's the shocker? Maybe it's in this: How can Sen. Kennedy and former VP Gore read this book and still say Bush is a liar? It looks more like the worse thing he did was believe wha the CIA was telling him. As did Kerry, et al. This is an interesting read offering insights on how decisions are made on heavy matters. A shocker it's not.